Q&A with Pramod Khargonekar

Vice Chancellor of Research at UC Irvine, Pramod Khargonekar, Ph.D. has played a key role in shaping the UC Noyce Initiative since its founding having served on the executive leadership committee since 2019 and then as chair from 2023-2025. Now, as he prepares to step down from both his role with UCNI and his position as vice chancellor in June 2025, he shares his thoughts on what the Initiative has accomplished and his hopes for the future.

Q: What motivated you to support UC Irvine in getting involved with the UC Noyce Initiative? 

A: When I was approached about the UC Noyce Initiative from its very early beginnings, the name "Noyce" immediately appealed to me. Bob Noyce, the co-founder of Intel, is a legend in electrical engineering and a pioneer in semiconductor technology. Given my background in electrical engineering and my work on semiconductor manufacturing, I felt a strong connection to Noyce's legacy. I saw the UC Noyce Initiative as a great opportunity to get involved in building something that would honor his pioneering work and impact. 

Q: How did the Noyce Legacy influence your leadership as chair of the executive committee? 

A: For me, leading the UC Noyce Initiative came with a deep sense of responsibility. I felt we had to live up to Noyce's legacy and build something that he would be proud of. This has driven my work on the initiative, as I've strived to provide creative leadership, collaborate effectively with my colleagues across the UC campuses, and work closely with the trustees to realize the vision that Noyce and the Noyce Trust have set forth. It's been a privilege to be entrusted with honoring Noyce's pioneering contributions to the field of electrical engineering and digital technologies.

Q: Is there an aspect of UCNI’s mission—to advance digital innovation for the public good—that speaks most to you? 

A: Absolutely. Digital technologies powered by semiconductors have been the single greatest force for progress in our society over the past 50-70 years. These technologies have transformed communication, education, healthcare, and economic growth in ways that have greatly benefited people's lives, especially in developing parts of the world. While there are also negative impacts to be mindful of, the opportunity to harness digital innovation for the public good is immense. This is precisely what the UC Noyce Initiative aims to do - maximize the positive impact while understanding and minimizing the negative.

Q: You have a strong history of fostering collaborations throughout your career. With that in mind, why do you think five UC campuses working together through the UC Noyce Initiative is so powerful? 

A: Collaboration is so important because the problems we face in society don't come with a discipline written on them. To make progress on big societal challenges, we need to bring together people from different disciplinary expertise who can leverage their unique tools, techniques, and ways of thinking. An engineer thinks differently than a physicist or a social scientist, and synthesizing these diverse perspectives is where powerful innovations can occur.

 The UC Noyce Initiative taps into this power of collaboration, not just across disciplines, but across the five UC campuses. Each campus has deep pools of expertise in different fields, and by bringing these teams together, we can tackle complex problems in ways that draw on the breadth and depth of knowledge within the UC system. This multi campus collaboration is a unique strength of the initiative, allowing us to make the most of the UC's world-class resources to drive transformative solutions.

Q: Why UCNI? Why now?

 A: The UC Noyce Initiative is uniquely positioned for success due to California's special history and ecosystem in the digital revolution. California has been at the forefront of major innovations in this space, including the founding of Intel by Bob Noyce himself. The five UC campuses involved in the initiative have world-class expertise and a proud legacy in this domain.

Additionally, the significant endowment provided by the Noyce Trust puts the UC Noyce Initiative in a tremendous position to bring these five campuses together and continue to lead California, the nation, and the world in emerging technology directions like AI and quantum computing. This generational opportunity, combined with the unique collaboration among the campuses and the trustees' engagement, makes the UC Noyce Initiative a truly special initiative poised for transformative impact.

Q: Why is philanthropic support so important for research and innovation?

 A: Philanthropic support is singularly important for fostering groundbreaking innovation and research. Industry funding tends to be more short-term and risk-averse, while federal government funding can also be conservative and focused on lower-risk projects with existing data. This leaves a gap for truly innovative, unproven ideas that have not yet generated sufficient evidence for federal funding. 

Philanthropic support, like the Noyce Trust's investment in the UC Noyce Initiative, allows us to fund new, collaborative ideas that have not yet been tried. This provides the critical initial funding to build the foundations and get initial results, which can then be used to secure larger pools of funding from federal agencies. Philanthropy plays an indispensable role in enabling the kind of high-risk, high-reward research that has the potential to change the world.

Q: What are you most proud of in your involvement with the UC Noyce Initiative?

 A: What I'm most proud of is the progress we've made in becoming a high-functioning, tightly integrated team executing on the initiative. We've gone from a loose collaboration to a truly collegial and productive relationship between the campuses and the trustees. I'm also very proud of the foundations we've built in major technology directions that have tremendous scope for positive impact, like computational health, quantum computing, and cybersecurity. And I'm proud of the transparent and responsible decision-making we've established for every aspect of the UC Noyce Initiative.

Q: What parting words would you say to those who are or were considering getting involved with the UC Noyce Initiative? 

A: To those who have been funded by the UC Noyce Initiative, my parting words would be: Remember the responsibility you have to live up to Dr. Noyce's name and legacy. The work you do through this initiative must strive to achieve the excellence and impact that Noyce himself embodied.

To our institutional leaders who continue to support the UC Noyce Initiative, I would say: Keep supporting this unique collaboration, as it holds tremendous potential to realize the highest aspirations set forth by the Noyce Trust's investment. The foundations we have built together as a team of campus leaders, the executive director, and the trustees are primed for long-term success. 

And to any researchers considering getting involved, I encourage you to look for opportunities to participate. If you have ideas that align with the initiative's mission of leveraging digital technologies for societal good, reach out to us. We remain open to new directions and innovative proposals that can make a real difference. 

Ultimately, my parting message is one of pride and inspiration. I'm proud of what we've accomplished so far, and I'm deeply committed to seeing the UC Noyce Initiative succeed in honoring the legacy of its namesake. I will continue to be a steadfast supporter, even as I step away from my leadership role.